<h2>French Connection</h2>
The idea of a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/innovations/wp/2013/08/12/elon-musk-to-reveal-hyperloop-plans-after-a-trickle-of-hints/?utm_term=.444fd266920f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hyperloop</a> may have originated in Silicon Valley, but it&#8217;s coming to life in France.
In 2013, tech CEO Elon Musk unveiled plans for a transportation system he dubbed a &#8220;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/innovations/wp/2013/08/12/elon-musk-to-reveal-hyperloop-plans-after-a-trickle-of-hints/?utm_term=.75118bf7b477" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hyperloop</a>,&#8221; in which capsules travel at enormous speeds through a low-pressure tube.
Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HyperloopTT) is one of several companies now building out such a system, and on Tuesday, it shared images of the full-scale hyperloop test track it&#8217;s building in Toulouse, France — an important milestone on the path to a functioning hyperloop.
<figure id="attachment_152630" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="size-large wp-image-152630" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2019/02/Hyperloop-TT-1-1200x800.jpeg" alt="Hyperloop Transportation Technologies" width="1200" height="800" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Image Credit: Hyperloop Transportation Technologies</figcaption></figure>
<h2>Nearing Completion</h2>
According to a CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/26/hyperloop-firm-unveils-first-images-of-its-new-test-track-in-toulouse.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a>, HyperloopTT&#8217;s hyperloop test track is 320 meters (1,049 feet) long, and the company plans to use it to test the passenger pod it <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/hyperloop-passenger-capsule">unveiled in October</a>.
Those tests won&#8217;t kick off until April, though, as the track isn&#8217;t actually complete just yet — HyperloopTT told CNBC it still needs to install a &#8220;proprietary vacuum pump system,&#8221; but that construction should wrap up in the &#8220;coming weeks.&#8221;
<figure id="attachment_152633" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="size-large wp-image-152633" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2019/02/Hyperloop-TT-2-1200x800.jpeg" alt="Hyperloop" width="1200" height="800" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Image Credit: Hyperloop Transportation Technologies</figcaption></figure>
<h2>Full Speed Ahead</h2>
Work-in-progress or not, HyperloopTT CEO Dirk Ahlborn expressed confidence in his company&#8217;s system.
&#8220;In Toulouse, we have taken the time to design and build a truly commercially viable system,&#8221; he told CNBC. &#8220;As we get ready for testing, we are proud to share our most recent milestones at our R&amp;D (research and development) center in Europe&#8217;s &#8216;Aerospace Valley&#8217; which will serve as our staging ground for our efforts worldwide.&#8221;
<figure id="attachment_152634" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="size-large wp-image-152634" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2019/02/Hyperloop-TT-3-1200x1200.jpeg" alt="Hyperloop" width="1200" height="1200" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Image Credit: Hyperloop Transportation Technologies</figcaption></figure>
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/26/hyperloop-firm-unveils-first-images-of-its-new-test-track-in-toulouse.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hyperloop Firm Unveils First Images of Its New Test Track in Toulouse</a> [CNBC]
More on HyperloopTT: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/hyperloop-passenger-capsule" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The First Full-Scale Hyperloop Passenger Capsule Has Arrived</a>

HyperloopTT says it'll be ready to support testing in April.

See a startup’s newly unveiled hyperloop test track

Looped In

Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) has unveiled a full-scale hyperloop test track — an important milestone on the path to a functioning hyperloop.

See a Startup’s Newly Unveiled Hyperloop Test Track

This 1,049-foot-long track could usher in the future of transportation.

<h2>Do You Hear the People Sing?</h2>
In recent months, the French government has taken serious steps to boost its and Europe’s cybersecurity, in part by ousting foreign corporations that could spy on French leaders and citizens.
Most notably, according to a new <a href="https://www.wired.co.uk/article/google-france-silicon-valley">story in WIRED</a>, the French Ministry of the Armed Forces announced last month that <a href="https://www.defense.gouv.fr/salle-de-presse/communiques/communiques-de-florence-parly/cp_communique-du-ministere-des-armees">the French military will no longer</a> default to Google&#8217;s search engine, instead using a French one <a href="https://www.qwant.com/?l=en">called Qwant</a>, which says it doesn’t exploit user data.
<h2>Singing the Songs of Angry Men</h2>
The underlying logic is that the fewer <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/experts-warn-of-potential-government-interest-in-accent-detecting-tech">non-European powers</a> that dominate the French and European markets, the fewer backdoors the NSA and other foreign agencies can use to spy on the government and people of France, reports WIRED. And with that independence, according to WIRED&#8216;s analysis, France is less likely to become a &#8220;digital colony&#8221; of America or China.
That push was inspired by Edward Snowden’s 2013 leaks that revealed the NSA’s ongoing monitoring of foreign governments, as well as the more recent Cambridge Analytica scandal and other leaks and data hacks within the giant technology and social media corporations based in the U.S.
<h2>Water the Meadows of France</h2>
The French government’s concerns over digital sovereignty are well-founded.
Kai-Fu Lee, a venture capitalist and former executive at Apple and Google, recently wrote in his book &#8220;AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order&#8221; that &#8220;AI will further cleave open the divide between the haves and the have-nots.&#8221;
Lee also predicts that AI have-nots could become subservient to the countries that AI leaders — very same tech giants France just ousted — call home. If it wants to nip any risk of America or China’s digital colonialism in the bud, France’s pushes for virtual self-dependence could not be timelier.
READ MORE: France is ditching Google to reclaim its online independence [<a href="https://www.wired.co.uk/article/google-france-silicon-valley">WIRED</a>]
More on cybersecurity: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/hack-military-weapons">REPORT: IT’S EASY TO HACK AN ENTIRE GENERATION OF MILITARY WEAPONS</a>

It’s part of France’s plan to maintain independence from America and China.

To bolster cybersecurity, France gives Google the guillotine

Eating Cake

The French government is taking major steps to break its reliance on non-European corporations. Last month, the military ousted Google's software.

To Bolster Cybersecurity, France Gives Google the Guillotine

France, it would seem, has had enough of American surveillance.

Uber’s self-driving car program—from shuttering its Arizona outpost to making Pittsburg’s mayor angry—is not doing well this week. Their flying taxi initiative, however, is, dare we say, taking off. The company announced today <a href="https://www.uber.com/newsroom/building-ubers-future-in-france/">in a press release</a> that they’ll be opening an Uber Elevate research station in Paris. Its researchers will spend the next five years, and $23.4 million, researching how to navigate air traffic and comply with European regulations.
This is Uber’s first flying car lab outside the U.S., but it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that the project landed in France. President Emmanuel Macron announced a year ago he plans to make France a “start-up nation,” and he’s been trying to make good on that promise ever since.
Besides the Uber deal, France made a few major advancements towards that goal this week: Facebook will pay for 48 artificial intelligence fellowships at French universities, IBM will create 1,800 tech jobs in the country, and the food delivery start-up Deliveroo will invest about $117 million in the next few years, <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-44238056">reports the </a><a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-44238056">BBC</a>. Local governments have made progress on hosting start-ups, too, by offering space for Hyperloop companies to build test tracks. Limoges, France attracted Canadian start up TransPod with construction space for a prototype. In a similar deal, Orleans, a city farther north, will likely host native-grown SpaceTrain, reports <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-02/penniless-cities-offer-land-to-host-hyperloop-tests-in-france">Bloomberg</a>.
The most ambitious of all these plans, however, still appears to be Uber’s flying taxis. This is in part because air space is highly-regulated, and it’s not clear yet what categories these planes will fall under — they’re not full airplanes, but they’re more than drones. In the US, NASA has been anticipating projects like this by bulking up new research divisions. One, the obnoxiously-named Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration in the National Airspace System, <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong/news/FactSheets/FS-075-DFRC.html">studies</a> crafts a lot like Uber’s: Larger planes with no pilot. They hand their research over to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which makes all the rules about who can do what and when in the air. The space agency has also been <a href="https://www.space.com/38722-uber-flying-cars-nasa-air-traffic-control.html">collaborating</a> with Uber for safety standards, too.
In France, commercial drones are <a href="https://www.loc.gov/law/help/regulation-of-drones/france.php">required</a> to have well-trained operators, some of whom might need pilot’s licenses. Seeing as Uber’s crafts will be swirling living people through the air, odds are the controllers will also need those accreditations. Another regulatory body Uber needs to be cool with is the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which plans to <a href="https://www.easa.europa.eu/easa-and-you/civil-drones-rpas">issue</a> guidelines on drones this year. They haven&#8217;t said anything yet, making Uber’s planning for European law kind of tricky.
If Uber is to make their ambitious 2020 testing deadline, they need the EASA’s rules sooner rather than later. Or, if everything goes the way the company’s self-driving car program has gone, maybe the EASA can take all the time they need.

Along with Facebook, IBM and a food delivery service, Uber becomes one of the companies fulfilling France's tech aspirations.

Uber announces flying taxi research center in France

Advanced Transport

The center will spend the next five years researching what it takes to launch a flying taxi service, along with similar stations in the US.

Uber Announces Flying Taxi Research Center In France

The project lines up with President Macron's dreams for the country—assuming it succeeds.

<h2>Sharer Beware</h2>
It turns out, <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/when-hatred-goes-viral-inside-social-medias-efforts-to-combat-terrorism/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">it really does matter what you post on social media</a>. Since she was stripped of parliamentary immunity in November by the National Assembly,<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/2/17070386/marine-le-pen-charged-violent-twitter-isis-posts" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Marine Le Pen, leader of France&#8217;s far-right, is facing charges</a> for sharing extremists posts on Twitter.
<a href="https://www.afp.com/en/news/826/frances-marine-le-pen-charged-over-islamic-state-tweets-doc-11k28d4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">As reported by </a><a href="https://www.afp.com/en/news/826/frances-marine-le-pen-charged-over-islamic-state-tweets-doc-11k28d4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AFP news agency</a>, The party leader was charged with distributing “violent messages that incite terrorism or pornography or seriously harm human dignity” and can be seen by a minor. The tweets were posted in 2015, but without immunity, she is able to be prosecuted.
<figure style="width: 777px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-125592 size-large aligncenter" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2018/03/twittttttttttttter-1200x911.jpg" alt="It really does matter what you post on social media. Image Credit: mohamed_hassan / pixabay" width="777" height="400" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">It really does matter what you post on social media. Image Credit: mohamed_hassan / pixabay</figcaption></figure>
This is not the first case of consequences for sharing social media content. Yonatan Tesfaye, a former spokesperson for Ethiopia&#8217;s opposition party, was <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2017-05-25/ethiopia-jails-opposition-politician-for-six-years-over-facebook-post">sentenced to more than six years of jail time</a> last May for encouraging terrorist acts on Facebook.
In the U.K.,<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/dec/31/online-extremism-social-media-tax-penalty-ben-wallace" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> there is a proposed tax penalty</a> for leaving up violent images or extremist content, forcing companies to take action or pay the price. Additionally, in Russian,<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/04/05/its-now-illegal-in-russia-to-share-an-image-of-putin-as-a-gay-clown/?utm_term=.b45f7840a917" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> sharing certain depictions of Putin is now considered &#8220;extremism.&#8221;</a> New regulations have <a href="http://www.news.com.au/technology/online/social/dozens-in-russia-imprisoned-for-social-media-likes-reposts/news-story/9cb54ddab2810129920d560f4eb5983b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">already led to arrests</a>.
<h2>A New Precedent</h2>
In this case, Le Pen shared images that were captioned &#8220;Daesh is THIS&#8221; (Daesh is the Arabic acronym used for ISIS). She shared an image of the beheaded body of American journalist James Foley, which was later taken down after outrage from Foley&#8217;s family. She also shared an image of a man being run over by a tank and another of a man being burned alive in a cage.
Le Pen admitted no guilt to AFP, saying “I am being charged for having condemned the horrors of Daesh. In other countries, this would have earned me a medal.”
<a href="https://futurism.com/to-kick-bots-off-social-media-congress-might-have-to-get-involved/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Legal taken in response to behavior on social media</a> is a relatively new phenomenon. It is unclear whether those who like or retweet these shared images will also face penalties — though it seems unlikely.
Additionally, these charges raise the question of whether U.S. politicians could be convicted of similar crimes. <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/11/30/567541702/trumps-retweets-of-extremist-group-cause-firestorm-in-uk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">President Trump drew harsh criticism from the U.K.</a> after sharing extremists posts containing violent imagery, but it seems highly improbable that any legal action will be taken.
Le Pen potentially faces up to three years in jail as well as a fine of €75,000 (about $92,000). This could set a new precedent in the West for responding to such social media behavior and, in the future, could theoretically spark further convictions.

The French politician faces up to three years in jail as well as a fine of €75,000 (about $92,000).

Politicians are now facing legal action for sharing extremists posts on social media

Future Society

Marine Le Pen, a far-right political leader in France, is facing charges for sharing extremists posts with violent content on Twitter.

Politicians Are Now Facing Legal Action For Sharing Extremists Posts on Social Media

France's far-right Marine Le Pen is one of the first to face legal action. 

Politicians Are Now Facing Legal Action For Sharing Extremists’ Posts on Social Media

<h2>Goodbye Oil</h2>
In a bid to establish itself as the new leader in protecting the environment after <a href="https://futurism.com/its-official-trump-just-withdrew-the-u-s-from-the-paris-climate-agreement/">the U.S. reneged on the Paris Climate Agreement</a>, France has just passed a new blanket ban on fracking and oil extraction that will enter into force in 2040.
The proposal, <a href="https://futurism.com/france-wants-to-cease-fossil-fuel-production-by-2040/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">drafted last September</a>, was approved in Parliament by a show of hands on Dec. 19. After 2040, no new drilling permits will be issued and licenses will not be renewed, putting an end to the fossil fuels&#8217; production in France and its overseas territories.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500">
Very proud that France has become the first country in the world today to ban any new oil exploration licences with immediate effect and all oil extraction by 2040. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KeepItInTheGround?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KeepItInTheGround</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MakeOurPlanetGreatAgain?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MakeOurPlanetGreatAgain</a>
&mdash; Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) <a href="https://twitter.com/EmmanuelMacron/status/943195485640241152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Some observers called the move &#8220;hypocritical&#8221;, comparing it to Vermont&#8217;s ban on fracking that was introduced in 2012. Although at the time <a href="http://www.naturalgasintel.com/articles/3126-in-symbolic-move-vermont-first-state-to-ban-fracking" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the policy incensed industry leaders</a>, in practice the state&#8217;s shale resources are limited.
Halting France&#8217;s domestic production is unlikely to have a big impact on the environment because the vast majority of the country&#8217;s fossil fuel consumption is imported. In fact, France&#8217;s entire production of approximately <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/dec/20/france-bans-fracking-and-oil-extraction-in-all-of-its-territories">815,000 tons of oil per year</a> is equivalent to what Saudi Arabia extracts in just a few hours.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HypocrisyAlert?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HypocrisyAlert</a> France barring oil exploration on its oil-less turf reminds me of Vermont banning fracking (with no significant shale deposits). <a href="https://t.co/4Hqwr9tKPx">https://t.co/4Hqwr9tKPx</a> But worse hypocrisy unless France&#39;s <a href="https://twitter.com/Total?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Total</a> stops drilling elsewhere?
&mdash; Andy Revkin (@Revkin) <a href="https://twitter.com/Revkin/status/943473241385046022?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Moreover, the ban on fracking and oil extraction will have no impact on the operations of French-based <a href="https://www.total.com/en/worldwidepresence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">oil giants such as Total</a>, whose drilling projects span the developing world as well as Europe.
The former Socialist Minister of Ecology and Energy, Delphine Batho, responded to this criticism, <a href="http://www.courrier-picard.fr/61160/article/2017-10-03/fin-des-hydrocarbures-lassemblee-se-lance-dans-lexploration-de-la-loi-hulot#" target="_blank" rel="noopener">telling journalists that</a> &#8220;it would be an error of analysis to think that the text is only symbolic.&#8221; She hoped that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/dec/20/france-bans-fracking-and-oil-extraction-in-all-of-its-territories" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the ban would be &#8220;contagious&#8221;</a> for other countries willing to meet their climate targets.
<h2>Renewable Future?</h2>
The ban on fracking and oil extraction may be a relatively painless step for France, but much more difficult territory to navigate for President Emmanuel Macron is the production of nuclear energy, which currently <a href="http://www.rte-france.com/en/eco2mix/eco2mix-mix-energetique-en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">covers more than 70 percent </a>of France&#8217;s power needs. As part of his campaign, Macron pledged to reduce the country&#8217;s dependence on nuclear energy down to 50 percent by 2025, but it is still unclear whether renewables <a href="http://www.power-technology.com/features/featuremacrons-france-where-now-for-nuclear-power-5905019/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">could really fill such a significant gap</a> in just eight years.
But the French president seems <a href="https://futurism.com/france-just-announced-radical-changes-to-the-countrys-climate-policy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">determined to take the lead </a>in the climate battlefield. He recently <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/12/12/europe/macron-paris-climate-change-intl/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced the 18 winners</a> of the &#8220;Make our Planet Great Again&#8221; initiative, which funds international climate science. The grant&#8217;s recipients will receive up to $1.8 million over a period of three to five years. The program was unveiled in June 2017, shortly after the American president announced his intention to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement.
<figure style="width: 360px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://futurism.com/images/paris-climate-agreement/"><img src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2017/06/Homepage-Thumbnail-1.jpg" alt="Paris Climate Agreement" ></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text center"><a href="https://futurism.com/images/paris-climate-agreement/" target="_blank">Click to View Full Infographic</a></figcaption></figure>
And French<a href="http://www.power-technology.com/news/edf-build-30gw-solar-power-projects-france-2035/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> renewable development is progressing</a>, albeit not at the meteoric pace required by a drastic shift away from nuclear energy. For example, by 2035, the French electric utility company Électricité de France will have built 30GW of solar power plants in the country, which would quadruple the current installed solar capacity of 7.4GW.
In isolation, none of these measures are as revolutionary as the French administration likes to present them. But together they send a strong message about the importance of embracing an environmental agenda that speaks to the world.

The ban will halt the production of about 815,000 tons of oil per year.

France just passed a ban on fracking and oil extraction

Earth & Energy

France's parliament approved a ban on fracking and oil extraction that will go into effect in 2040. Some haled the move as an inspiring example.

France Just Passed a Ban on Fracking and Oil Extraction

After 2040, no new drilling permits will be issued and licenses will not be renewed.

This mirrored skyscraper concept from MAD Architects would reflect Paris, upside down.

After 44 Years, the Tour Montparnasse Is Finally Getting an Aesthetic Redesign

<h2>Europe&#8217;s Vaccine Nightmare</h2>
France&#8217;s Prime Minister Édouard Philippe <a href="http://www.lemonde.fr/sante/article/2016/10/24/les-francais-font-de-moins-en-moins-confiance-aux-vaccins-selon-une-etude_5018964_1651302.html" target="_blank">has announced</a> that the government will make the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/who/teens/downloads/parent-version-schedule-7-18yrs.pdf" target="_blank">11 vaccines universally recommended</a> by health authorities mandatory from 2018 onward. The announcement comes in response to <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/france-vaccination-mandatory-2018-next-year-children-health-measles-dying-anti-vaxxers-edouard-a7824246.html" target="_blank">measles outbreaks across Europe</a>, with 79 cases reported in France in January and February alone. Philippe branded the state of affairs &#8220;unacceptable.&#8221;
<figure style="width: 360px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://futurism.com/images/vaccine-myths-2/"><img src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2017/06/Homepage-Thumbnail.jpg" alt="Vaccine Myths" ></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text center"><a href="https://futurism.com/images/vaccine-myths-2/" target="_blank">Click to View Full Infographic</a></figcaption></figure>
The resurfacing of diseases like measles is believed to be caused by people believing less and less in the power of vaccines. In France, <a href="http://www.lemonde.fr/sante/article/2016/10/24/les-francais-font-de-moins-en-moins-confiance-aux-vaccins-selon-une-etude_5018964_1651302.html" target="_blank">a recent survey</a> found that three in 10 people don&#8217;t trust vaccines, with only 52 percent stating they believed that the benefits outweighed the risks.
Italy has also seen a worrying increase in measles infections — the number of cases in April was five times higher than the same month in 2016. Beatrice Lorenzin, the Italian health minister, <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/italy-vaccinations-school-children-compulsory-government-legislation-health-injections-a7736086.html" target="_blank">said that the rapid increase was</a> “an emergency generated by fake news” and cited the Five Star Movement (MS5), a political party that opposes vaccines, as a contributing factor.
<iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GzvfpyyZO9o?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The shift in public perception in Italy and France is symptomatic of a Europe-wide trend that has been attributed to the growing anti-vaccine movement. The genesis of the skepticism was Andrew Wakefield, who stated in a 1998 research paper that there was a link between the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine and the development of autism. The claim <a href="https://futurism.com/study-of-1-3-million-kids-reveals-no-link-between-vaccines-and-autism/" target="_blank">has been irrefutably debunked</a>, although dubious science and scare tactics — like those used by MS5 — are perpetuating the findings of the report.
<h2>The Power of Vaccines</h2>
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that <a href="http://www.who.int/publications/10-year-review/vaccines/en/" target="_blank">vaccines saved more than 10 million lives</a> between 2010 and 2015, and thanks to vaccines, we&#8217;re on the brink of completely eradicating some diseases, <a href="https://futurism.com/bill-gates-we-are-closer-than-ever-before-to-totally-eradicating-polio/">such as polio</a>. Despite this, countries in both the developing and developed world remain doubtful of their effects.
In response, many countries <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3216445/" target="_blank">have taken measures</a> to increase the use of vaccines. Italy has made <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-39983799" target="_blank">12 vaccinations obligatory for children</a>, while Australia has introduced a financial incentive by offering parents $129 for every child who meets recommended vaccination levels between the ages of 18 months and 24 months, with the payment being repeated if the same requirements are met between the ages of four and five.
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Slovenia, in Eastern Europe, has the world&#8217;s strictest vaccination policy, with fines being issued to any parents who fail to provide their children with the nine mandatory vaccines. This has resulted in a compliance rate of 95 percent.
Dr. Farah Jameel told doctors attending <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/doctor-blames-andrew-wakefield-son-catching-measles-vaccine-mmr-autism-anti-vaxxers-measles-a7813001.html" target="_blank">the British Medical Association&#8217;s annual meeting</a> in June that deaths in Wales from measles in 2013 were a &#8220;waste of life.&#8221; This is arguably true for all deaths that could have been easily prevented through vaccination, especially given their ever-decreasing price and <a href="https://futurism.com/powdered-vaccines-could-potentially-save-100000-children-each-year/" target="_blank">new delivery methods.</a>

Vaccination

Health & Medicine

Governments are taking measures to increase the use of vaccines.

France Just Announced a New Law Making 11 Vaccines Mandatory

The Prime Minister says it’s “unacceptable” that children still die of measles.

<h2>France&#8217;s Green Future</h2>
As part of the Paris Agreement, French Environment Minister Nicolas Hulot <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2017/07/06/business/06reuters-climatechange-france.html">has announced a series of measures</a> to make France a carbon neutral and more sustainable country by 2050. Most prominent among the goals are his plan to ban all petrol and diesel vehicles in the country by 2040, ceasing the use of coal to produce energy by 2022, and reducing the country&#8217;s nuclear usage from 75 percent to 50 percent.
In addition, Hulot intends to start a campaign against unsustainably sourced goods by no longer importing palm oil and soya farmed in ways that contribute to deforestation. ClientEarth CEO James Thornton established France as a progenitor that could start a wider trend, <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/france-petrol-diesel-ban-vehicles-cars-2040-a7826831.html" target="_blank">telling the Independent</a>:
<blockquote>“This is a huge statement of intent from the French government and an example of how we’re likely to see exponential change in the coming years as governments grapple with the necessary changes we have to make for air quality and our climate.&#8221;</blockquote>
<h2>A Planet is Saved by Degrees</h2>
France is one of many European countries that have recently announced plans to reduce emissions and change the lifestyles of their citizens to become more environmentally friendly. Recently, Norway made waves when they announced that they would ban <a href="https://futurism.com/norway-makes-unprecedented-pledge-to-ban-the-use-of-oil-for-heating-by-2020/" target="_blank">the use of oil to heat homes by 2020</a>. Sweden, taking a similar road as France, has pledged to become <a href="https://futurism.com/sweden-passes-new-law-to-become-carbon-neutral-by-2045/">carbon neutral by 2045</a>.
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Changes are not just being made on a national level, though: industry leaders are also announcing gambits to be more green. Most notably, Volvo just announced they will <a href="https://futurism.com/volvo-becomes-the-first-premium-car-maker-to-go-all-electric/" target="_blank">only produce electric vehicles from 2019 onwards</a>. Tesla, meanwhile, is continuing its crusade to bring electric cars to the masses with the Model 3 — the first models of which <a href="https://futurism.com/get-ready-the-tesla-model-3-goes-on-sale-this-week/">are already in production</a>.
A common argument against climate change is that a single country or industry&#8217;s contribution is but one &#8220;drop in the ocean.&#8221; But the ocean is made of drops, and it is only through country by country and company by company changes that we&#8217;ll fight to save our planet from <a href="https://futurism.com/no-legitimate-arguments-against-human-caused-climate-change/">the damage</a><a href="https://futurism.com/no-legitimate-arguments-against-human-caused-climate-change/"> we&#8217;re responsible for.</a>

The plans aim to simultaneously decrease emissions while also no longer supporting industries that contribute to deforestation.

France Just Announced Radical Changes to the Country’s Climate Policy

The newly elected French government announced a series of ambitious measures to decrease reliance on fossil fuels, promote sustainability, and support the environment.

In autonomous vehicle news, <a href="http://www.sncf.com/en/passengers" target="_blank">SNFC</a>, France&#8217;s national railway operator, has announced their intention to have autonomous TGVs (French abbreviation for &#8220;high-speed trains&#8221;) running <a href="http://www.francetvinfo.fr/economie/transports/sncf/sncf-le-train-sans-conducteur-bientot-sur-les-rails-en-france_2236131.html" target="_blank">by 2023</a>. SNFC has dubbed the concept the &#8220;drone train&#8221; and plans to start prototype testing sometime in 2019.
<figure style="width: 360px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://futurism.com/images/history-future-high-speed-rail/"><img src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2016/03/HomeThumb_HighSpeedRail.jpg" alt="The History (And Future) Of High Speed Rail" ></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text center"><a href="https://futurism.com/images/history-future-high-speed-rail/" target="_blank">Click to View Full Infographic</a></figcaption></figure>
Driverless public transport might make some uneasy, bringing up visions of the film Speed and the potential ways things could go awry, but with years of testing and preparation, every possible issue should be resolved.
The SNFC&#8217;s trains, which can already travel at speeds up to 321 km/h (200 mph), will have automatic brakes installed (for both regular and emergency situations), as well as sensors to allow the trains to identify objects in their path. To ensure safety, the trains will still have conductors aboard for the first excursions just in case anything goes wrong, and because remote piloting is an option, even unforeseeable issues with the trains could be dealt with safely in a variety of ways.
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As autonomous vehicles continue to increase in popularity, the future of transportation promises to be <a href="https://futurism.com/neil-degrasse-tyson-self-driving-cars-will-save-lives/?src=featured" target="_blank">safer</a>, more efficient, and beneficial to the <a href="https://futurism.com/study-the-driverless-vehicle-market-will-hit-7-trillion-annually-by-2050/?src=featured" target="_blank">economy</a>. From <a href="https://futurism.com/its-official-teslas-model-x-is-the-safest-suv-on-the-market-with-5-stars-in-every-category/" target="_blank">Tesla</a> to <a href="https://futurism.com/toyota-is-using-blockchain-to-get-its-self-driving-cars-on-the-roads-sooner/" target="_blank">Toyota</a>, manufacturers across the globe are investing in the development of <a href="https://futurism.com/china-to-reveal-its-autonomous-bustrain-hybrid-in-2018/" target="_blank">autonomous vehicles</a>, and in some places in the U.S., driverless cars could be on the streets in as few as <a href="https://futurism.com/driverless-autonomous-cars-will-be-on-us-roads-in-the-next-2-months/" target="_blank">two months</a>.
Autonomous vehicle development isn&#8217;t slowing down any time soon, so the next train you take might have no conductor at all, and that could be a good thing for everyone involved.

France wants autonomous systems to run its high-speed trains.

France Plans to Have Driverless “Drone Trains” Transporting Passengers by 2023

They’ll travel at speeds up to 200 mph without a human operator.

<h2>A Change In the Climate</h2>
Where U.S. president Donald Trump stands on climate change is no secret, and his administration has already put into effect <a href="https://futurism.com/donald-trump-is-dropping-climate-change-impact-from-governmental-reviews/" target="_blank">a number of efforts</a> that clearly demonstrate this. Now, perhaps the biggest blow to climate change efforts is about to unfold, as new reports surface about <a href="https://futurism.com/videos/trump-plans-to-pull-the-us-out-of-the-paris-climate-agreement/" target="_blank">president Trump&#8217;s plans to back out</a> of the historic Paris Climate Agreement.
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/31/climate/trump-quits-paris-climate-accord.html?_r=0" target="_blank">According to the </a><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/31/climate/trump-quits-paris-climate-accord.html?_r=0" target="_blank">New York Times</a>, three officials who know about the decision have confirmed that President Trump indeed plans to abandon the 2015 climate agreement that spurred many of the world&#8217;s nations to implement stricter measures and goals to fight climate change. <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/869903459511918592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2017%2F05%2F31%2Fclimate%2Ftrump-quits-paris-climate-accord.html" target="_blank">In a tweet posted just today</a>, President Trump said he will be announcing his decision in the coming days.
Newly-elected French president Emmanuel Macron had something to say about that decision, however. In a video posted on Facebook back in February, almost a month before he was elected, Macron expressed sympathy for U.S. climate experts.
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&#8220;I do know how your new president now has decided to jeopardize your budget, your initiatives, and he is extremely skeptical about climate change,&#8221; he said then, at the height of news about the U.S. government&#8217;s controversial budget cuts. &#8220;I have no doubt about climate change.&#8221;
<h2>France&#8217;s Offer</h2>
President Macron offered an alternative for climate scientists working in the U.S.
“Please, come to France. You are welcome, ” Macron said in the video. “We want people working on climate change, energy, renewables, and new technology. France is your nation.”
Canada has also made similar offers that that time. Backing out of the Paris Climate Agreements, however, is an even more serious matter.
<figure style="width: 360px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://futurism.com/images/technological-fixes-for-climate-change/"><img src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2016/12/Technological-Fixes-for-Climate-Change_home_v1-900x600.jpg" alt="Technological Fixes for Climate Change" ></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text center"><a href="https://futurism.com/images/technological-fixes-for-climate-change/" target="_blank">Click to View Full Infographic</a></figcaption></figure>
While the U.S. is just one of the 195 nations that signed the Paris Agreement, it remains to be <a href="https://wri.org/blog/2014/11/6-graphs-explain-world%E2%80%99s-top-10-emitters">the second largest contributor</a> to greenhouse gasses. Reversing on its commitment to the climate deal would have serious consequences on the environment, as well as to the policies of other countries.
“The actions of the United States are bound to have a ripple effect in other emerging economies that are just getting serious about climate change, such as India, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia,” Michael Oppenheimer, member of the UN&#8217;s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/31/climate/trump-quits-paris-climate-accord.html?_r=0" target="_blank">told the </a><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/31/climate/trump-quits-paris-climate-accord.html?_r=0" target="_blank">New York Times</a>.
Clearly, fighting climate change is a global effort, as it takes the commitment of the rest of the world to reduce humanity&#8217;s carbon dioxide emissions. If the world&#8217;s largest economy to back out of such a fight, it could seriously push things back.

The president of France has a standing invitation for climate scientists working in the U.S.

/France

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